1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 18, Session 2: Jeremiah Warned of God’s Judgment TEACHER BIBLE STUDY What do you do when you need to remember something? Do you write it down? The people of Judah had forgotten God’s Word. Jehoiakim was king, and “He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestors had done” (2 Kings 23:37). The people of Judah were facing God’s judgment for their sin. God told Jeremiah to write on a scroll all the words God had spoken about Israel, Judah, and all the nations. God was patient. He gave the people a chance to heed a warning and to turn from their sin and be forgiven. Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, wrote the words Jeremiah received from God. Then Baruch read the scroll. But the people did not heed the warning. King Jehoiakim’s officials brought Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, to the king. Jehoiakim rejected God’s Word, cutting it up and throwing it into the fire. God told Jeremiah to write another scroll. God said He would punish Jehoiakim for rejecting God’s word about the coming judgment. He would punish Jehoiakim’s descendants too. The disaster God warned about would come to the people who did not listen. Scripture is a gracious gift from the Lord. In it we see the plan of God from before time began. We receive the gospel—good news of salvation. The Word is steadfast: constant and reliable. “The word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25). John 1 says that Jesus is the Word. He is God in the flesh; Immanuel, God with us. By giving His people the written Word, God showed them His standard. We all fall short. The people of Judah faced God’s judgment against sin. Years later, God sent His Son. Jesus came and lived a perfect life. He satisfied God’s righteous requirement and took the punishment we deserve. Those who trust in Him are forgiven. This is good news! This is the gospel—the word that was preached to us, the word that remains forever. LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: Jeremiah Warned of God’s Judgment Bible Passage: Jeremiah 36 Big Picture Question: Why did Jeremiah warn God’s people? God wanted His people to know they were in danger, to stop sinning, and to turn back to Him. Key Passage: Ezekiel 37:27 Unit Christ Connection: Though it appeared that sin prevailed, the covenant God promised would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 1 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 18, Session 2: Jeremiah Warned of God’s Judgment Transition Time Welcome time Activity sheet/Table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (1 minute) Timeline Map (1 minute) Big picture question (1 minute) Sing (5 minutes) Key passage (4 minutes) Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me (optional) Prayer (5 minutes) Table Time Timeline map (1 minute) Bible story review (10 minutes) Large Group Review / Activities Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW Jeremiah Warned of God’s Judgment Jeremiah 36 When Josiah’s son Jehoiakim (jih HOY uh kim) had been king of Judah for four years, God gave a message to Jeremiah. God said, “Take a scroll, and write on it everything I have told you about Israel, Judah, and the other nations.” God wanted Judah to hear about His plans to punish them for their sin. Maybe Judah would stop doing evil things and turn back to God. God wanted to forgive them for the wrong things they had done. Jeremiah obeyed God. He called for his friend Baruch (BAY rook) to be his scribe. A scribe is someone who writes down important events and messages. Jeremiah told Baruch what God had said, and Baruch wrote the words on the scroll. Then Jeremiah said to Baruch, “I am not allowed to go into the temple of the Lord, so you must go to the temple. Read the words from the Lord that you wrote on the scroll so that all the people of Judah can hear. Maybe they will turn from doing evil things when they hear 2 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 18, Session 2: Jeremiah Warned of God’s Judgment how angry God is with them.” Baruch did what Jeremiah said. The people of Judah came into the capital city of Jerusalem, to the Lord’s temple. They were fasting—not eating for a time so they could pray and figure out what God wanted them to do. Baruch read from the scroll so that all the people could hear the word of the Lord. A man named Micaiah (migh KAY yuh) heard the words of the Lord that Baruch read from the scroll. Micaiah went to the king’s palace and told the officials what he had heard. The officials asked Baruch to come to the palace and read the scroll to them, and Baruch did. The officials heard the words of the Lord, and they were afraid. God was angry because of the evil things they had done, and He was going to punish them! The officials said, “We need to tell King Jehoiakim this message.” The officials told Baruch and Jeremiah to hide, and then they went and told the king what they had heard. King Jehoiakim asked one of his messengers to read the scroll. The messenger read part of the scroll, and then the king cut it off and threw it into his fire. The messenger read some more, and then the king cut off some more and burned it until the whole scroll was burned up. King Jehoiakim was not afraid of the message from the Lord. He wanted to capture Jeremiah and Baruch, but no one could find them. God kept Jeremiah and Baruch hidden so they would be safe. Since King Jehoiakim burned up the first scroll, God told Jeremiah to write another scroll. This scroll would have the same words as the first scroll. God told Jeremiah to give the king an important message. This is what Jeremiah should say to the king: “You burned up the scroll that said the king of Babylon would come and destroy Judah. None of your sons will be king after you. God is going to punish you, your family, and your leaders for doing wrong things. Disaster will come to Judah just like God said it would, but you did not listen to the words of the Lord.” Jeremiah obeyed God. He gave another scroll to his scribe, Baruch. Baruch wrote down all the words of the Lord that King Jehoiakim had burned up in the fire. Christ Connection: John 1 says that Jesus is the Word. Jesus showed people what God is like. God gives us His written Word, the Bible, to tell us what He is like too. The Bible has the most important message: the good news about Jesus. It tells us that God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from our sin. 3 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 18, Session 2: Jeremiah Warned of God’s Judgment TRANSITION TIME Session Title: Jeremiah Warned of God’s Judgment Bible Passage: Jeremiah 36 Big Picture Question: Why did Jeremiah warn God’s people? God wanted His people to know they were in danger, to stop sinning, and to turn back to Him. Key Passage: Ezekiel 37:27 Unit Christ Connection: Though it appeared that sin prevailed, the covenant God promised would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Welcome time Tip: As kids arrive this is a great time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Arriving Activity: Bible Books Game Bibles, 1 per kid As the kids arrive, make sure each kid has a Bible. Play in small teams if you don’t have enough Bibles. Call out a book of the Bible. The first kid or group to find it wins. Repeat with a new book. If needed, provide hints like Old Testament, New Testament, near the front of your Bible, or near the end of your Bible. This game will help prepare the kids for the activity sheet, or use it as a review after the activity sheet. Say • God’s words are very important, but a king in today’s Bible story didn’t treat them that way. We’ll find out what God had to say about that. Activities/Table Centers (5 minutes) Table centers (Miscellaneous Activities) “Bible Books” activity sheet / Bible Story Coloring Sheet, 1 per kid pencils, markers or crayons Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say • We have God’s words written in the Bible. God’s people in the Old Testament didn’t have the whole Bible like we do. They relied on priests, prophets, and small segments of Scripture. However, God told a prophet to write down a warning for Judah. If time remains, allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Session Starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Go Back! masking tape Tape two lines several feet apart as a start line and finish line. Form two groups, and instruct each group to line up single file behind the start line. A small group leader will face away from the group and give a command to go.